


blood & honey

by muse_apollo



Series: muse's ZsaszMask oneshots [4]
Category: Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
Genre: (ish? i mean its them), Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Roman, Roman's fits really pop off in this one, Smoking, alcohol use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:01:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23406442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/muse_apollo/pseuds/muse_apollo
Summary: Victor gets in a fight that leaves him a little more beat up than usual. Roman reacts as well as anyone would expect him to.
Relationships: Roman Sionis/Victor Zsasz
Series: muse's ZsaszMask oneshots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1639804
Comments: 9
Kudos: 197





	blood & honey

**Author's Note:**

> another one I couldn't get out of my head... these two are quickly taking over my life.

Victor was sitting in the dark on the couch, pulling slowly at his cigarette, staring into the middle distance, waiting. His jaw ached from where he’d taken a boot to the face earlier that night, and the skin on his knuckles was scraped, the broken skin still oozing. He’d done a number on that guy's face though, they’d have to look at dental records to ID the body; served him right, coming after Victor like that. 

He could still taste blood in his mouth from where he’d bit down on his tongue, had to stop himself spitting, god forbid he stained Roman’s rug. He could just hear him now, the way he’d fuss, probably go on some tangent about the material or the cost or the fucking designer of the thing. Victor found himself smiling just a bit at the thought, immediately regretting it when pain shot through his jaw like an electric shock. 

It had been a stupid fucking mistake on his part, he could admit to that. He just hadn’t been paying enough attention, his head was somewhere else, that much was true. He hadn’t noticed he was being watched until he’d stepped out into the alley for a cigarette and someone had brought a fucking two-by-four down on his back. There’d been four of them, that was the problem, some kind of convoluted revenge scheme; he’d caught that from the yelling. Apparently he’d killed the guy’s sister a few years back, and now he’d got it in his head that he was gonna kill Victor, like that would change anything.

Fucking idiots.

He had no memory attached to that particular kill, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t killed her. He’d killed a lot of fucking people. It was hard to remember them all by name or face, at the end of the day, they were just another mark on his skin. Another scar for his collection.

People didn’t think about that, expected him to just know exactly what it was he’d done to earn their ire. It was easy for them, they had only one corpse to remember, and anyway, it meant a lot more to them then it did to him.

So they’d caught him off guard, but he’d come out on top at the end, just took a few more hits then he would have liked, but it was nothing serious, he’d be healed up and back to fighting shape in a few days. Still, Roman would probably throw a fit once he got a look at him. It was fair, he’d been pretty fucking stupid. 

As if on cue, the elevator doors opened, and Roman strolled in, illuminated from behind by the light. He paused for a second before clapping the lights on, nearly jumping out of his skin when he saw Victor sitting on the couch.

“Jesus, Zsasz, you scared the shit out of me lurking in the dark like that. What are you a fucking racoon? Christ.”

He didn’t seem to have noticed yet, crossing the room towards the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a glass of scotch.

“And I thought I told you not to smoke in here. You’ll stink up my fucking upholstery.”

“Sorry boss.” Victor put the cigarette out in his empty glass, he’d been almost done it anyway.

“You won’t believe the shit I had to put up with today from Horowitz. The man’s so fucking  _ dense _ , can’t even get me a  _ drink _ to save his life… damn near spilled it on my velvet jacket. You know, the Gucci one? Damn lucky he didn’t or I’d be making him eat his own face right now. Honestly, it’s a good thing I have you at least since everyone else I employ is a bunch of fucking morons…” 

He took off his jacket, draping it over the back of a chair, crossing the room to where Victor sat on the couch. He still hadn’t noticed.

“Oh and you remember that bitch Lydia? You should have seen what she was wearing today, Victor, honestly it was the gaudiest fucking thing I’ve ever see-” And then abruptly, Roman was silent, a rare occurrence. 

_ Now _ he’d seen it.

“Christ Zsasz, what the hell happened to you?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Roman’s jaw twitched just a bit. He set his glass down, approaching Victor, to stand over him. “Let me see.” One gloved hand reached out to grab his chin, tilting it towards the light, leaning in to get a better look at him. His eyes narrowed at the bruise on Victor’s jaw, the dried blood on the bridge of his nose. “Who did this to you?” His tone was cold, Victor knew that tone, normally that tone preceded a truly phenomenal tantrum. More often than not, Victor would encourage that tone, so long as it wasn’t directed at him, unleash Roman on the first unsuspecting motherfucker he could find. 

Now though, Roman’s focus was all on him, his eyes like chips of ice.

“Some shitheads with a vendetta, there were four of them, caught me a little off guard but I dealt with them. No sweat.”

“No sweat? Have you looked in a mirror at what they did to your fucking  _ face _ !” 

“Like I said, I was a bit off my game, but it’s nothing serious. Just some bruises. I’ve had worse.” Hell, he’d probably done worse to himself with one or two of his tallies. 

“Who was it? Do you know? I’ll skin them alive.”

“It’s a little late for that, boss.” Victor laughed, wincing again at the pain in his face. “Left the last one bleeding out in an alley a few blocks from here. I told you, nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“Good.” Roman dropped his hand, started pacing now, dress shoes clicking along the concrete floor of the living room as he walked along the windowed wall. He was practically fuming now. “Fucking fucks think they can just come into my city and touch  _ my _ things.” He turned abruptly, looking at Victor then. “I hope you made it  _ painful _ .”

Victor licked his lips. “Course I did, what do you take me for?” 

“Good. That’s good.” He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it from its usually immaculate state, a few strands falling loose into his face. “Do you know who sent them?”

“It wasn’t like that.” Victor shook his head. “It wasn't a hit. It was personal. Some vengeful fuck, pissy I got away with killing his sister trying to take justice into his own hands, brought a few friends with him for backup.”

“ All dead?”

“As fucking dogs.”

“Good. It’s what they deserved, thinking they could touch you. Do they know who I  _ am _ ? Almost wish they were still alive so I could do it myself.” He paused, his brow furrowing deeply. “Is this the first time something like this has happened?”

Victor shook his head, standing from the couch, drifting across the room, closer to Roman but not too close, he was in one his unpredictable moods. “Nah. Happens now and again, usually I’m quicker on the uptake, they just caught me off guard this time.”

“There’ll be more of them.”

“Probably. I’ve killed a lot of people.”

“I  _ know _ , I can see at least eight right now.” He gestured vaguely at the visible scars, the ones on Victor’s face, on his throat. He still seemed distracted, something playing out behind his eyes, in the furrow of his brow.

“I could take off my shirt if you want to count 'em.”

“Tempting, but I was making a point.”

Victor fell silent letting Roman continue his train of thought. 

“I can’t have people trying to kill you every five minutes, Zsasz. Do you know how hard it would be to replace you? You think one of those other idiots can do your job? Weak stomached shits… couldn’t peel a face to save their lives. And don’t even get me  _ started _ on disloyalty… so hard to find someone you can fucking trust these days."

He was spiralling, Victor could see that, and he stepped forwards, reaching out, catching Roman by his wrists, grounding him. “Hey.” He stepped closer. “Look at me.” 

Roman did, his eyes were wild, the way they always got when he got like this.

“I’m not going anywhere, boss. Trust me. It’ll take a lot more than some piece of shit with a revenge complex to kill me, alright?”

Roman nodded, pressing his lips together. 

“Besides, even if I did die, I’m sure you’d find a way to drag me back from hell so you could do me in yourself.”

Roman chuckled at that. “I would.” 

“I know.” Victor grinned like a shark, gold teeth glinting in the lamp light. “Now what do you say we go to bed, hmm? I’ve had a hell of a fuckin day and I could do well blowing off a little steam.”

“Okay.” Roman grinned at him. “Just let me finish my drink.”

Victor nodded, releasing his wrists, he started to cross the room, making his way in the direction of Roman’s room. Victor had his own room, but it remained empty on nights like this.

“And Zsasz?” He glanced back at Roman.

“Yeah, boss?”

“Next time that happens, if you can, bring me one alive.” There was something twisted behind his smile. “I want to make sure people know that when they fuck with you, they’re fucking with me, and you know what happens to people with Roman Sionis.” 

Victor knew, perhaps better than anyone, the weight of the threat. Something in his chest swelled just a bit at the protectiveness in the tone. Roman would never admit to it for what it was, but it was probably the closest they’d ever get to admitting whatever this thing between them was. “That a promise?”

Roman set his empty glass down on the table, crossing the room. He pulled one glove off, once again catching Victor's chin in his hand, surprisingly careful in avoiding the bruise on his jaw. "You're _mine_ , Victor." His lip curled with the hint of a snarl. "People don't touch my things without permission if they know what's good for them." He grinned. "Now let's go to bed, 'kay?"

**Author's Note:**

> *Roman Sionis voice*: This psychopath is my THINGS!!!!


End file.
